Methods of handling wire



March 7, 1961 v. A. RAYBURN 2,973,91 l METHODS 0F HANDLING WIRE Filed Jan. 2B, 1957 w A ,y y f v A l A l Il FIG. 2

FIG. 3

INVENTOR. l L/A. RAVBUR/v s BY @Q Arron/ver 2,973,911 METHODS OF HANDLING WIRE lVincent A. Rayburn, Baltimore, Md., assgnor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York f Filed Jan. 28, 1957, Ser. No. 636,786 A 3 Claims. (Cl. 242-1) The present invention relates generally tomethods of handling wire, and more particularly to methods of handling metal wire utilizing a hard, frangible, brittle; shatterable resin as a temporary binder for a coil of the wire. 'Y Y One of the problems in the wirehandling art arises from the fact that in many cases wound wire must be shipped on reels. The added weight of the shipping reel and the necessity in many cases of returning the reel'are factors which increase the cost of transporting wire. One suggested solution to this problem has been reeling the wire upon a takeup re'el with a demountable head and a paper core. The resulting package of` wire with its paper'core therein is then bound by steel strapping which may be applied through slots provided inthe head of the reel. The demountablehead is then disassembled bound by steel straps ready for transporting to the Iusers location. After such transporting, the bundle is set up or assembled on other collapsible or demountable reels at the users location for y unreelingtherefrom.V While this method is an improvement cost-wise over the usual handling operation, one of -its disadvantages is that the wire may become snarledduring an unreeling operation because' of the displacement of one convolution of wire with respect to and by another prior to and during unwinding. Another disadvantage is the possibility of damage to the wire caused' by the straps, strap applicator tools, or cutters usedforstrap removal.

In the manufacture of copper-steel conductors a copper coating is electrolytically deposited upon a steel core. The conventional practice after drawing `such steel wire is to pass the wire through a wiping means in which the excess lubricant and drawing compounds are removed. The wire is then packaged, in many cases on reels, for eventual transporting to the location where; the copper coating is to be deposited on/the wire. Prior to the application of the copper, the vst'eel'wire must'be thoroughly cleaned and acid pickled'to remove the remaining traces of lubricant and drawing compound, oxides and other corrosion products which have accumulated on the wire. Such oxides ,or corrosionproducts may only be those produced by vapors and gasesin the atmosphere. However, such wire many times gets wet during transportation. Water from snow or rain may percolate into the interior of .thewire package and cause rusting and pitting of thewire. .The rust maybe removed by pickling but a rough surfaced wire may result which is weakened at the pitted spots.

Accordingly, an object of the invention is to provide new and improved methods of handling wire.

Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved methods of handling metal wire utilizing a hard, frangible, brittle, shatterable resin as ay temporary binder for a coil of the wire.

Still another object is to provide protection from chemical action for a wire package.

A method illustrating certain features of the invention i ducing the bundle shown in Fig; l.

. and removed, leaving a wire bundle with a paper core ice . ,2 Y Y may include the steps of applying a coatingof a hard, frangible, brittle, shatterable material selected from the group consisting of rosin and shellac, in a liquid state, to a bare wire and winding such coated wire into a coil having a nexposed end. The applied coating material is dried in situ to its hard, frangible state so that the hardenedl material temporarily binds convolutions of the coil together into a `self-supporting coil, the wire of the coil being protected from corrosion by the hardened coatf.

ing material. Subsequently, when it is desired to use the Wire, the coil is unwound by pulling the exposed end of the wire away from the'coil. The coating material is such that, as the wire is unwound, a major part of the coating material shatters and'drops oli the wire, as the wire is pulled away'from the coil, leaving the wireinl a reasonably clean condition,

An understanding of the invention may be obtained from the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, when read in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a coil of wire embodying the invention with the wirethereof being withdrawn from a stationary supply stand; l l,

Fig. Z'is a partial crosssectional view taken along the plane 2 2 indicated in Fig. l, and K Fig., 3 is a *diagrammaticV view of apparatus for pro Referring now to the drawing there is depicted a selisupporting wire bundle 10 comprising a plurality of c onvolutions of wire 11 covered and bound together by or with a; hard,v frangible, brittle, shatterable material l12, such asV a frangible resin or the like. The bund1e10v is shown: resting on a stationary supply rnemberrl` having anl upwardly projecting centering conel 14|Y rigidly, attachedthereto. As the wire 11 is withdrawn from the center of the'bundle 10, the hard frangible resin 1`2'will otter somev resistance to the pullingV away of the wire;

however, as sufficient pull is put on the wire 11, .the frangible resin shatters and breaks away and the wire is unwound from the bundle 10 in a reasonably cleanV corr-` dition. The other convolutions on the inner surfaceof the bundle 10 are held in position by the hard resin therearound and, therefore, do not tend to loosen and cause snagging of the wire as it is unwound from the bundle I11. t The below described method might be used vfor producing the wire bundle depicted in Figs. l and 2. The wire to be Wound might be, for example, drawn steel wire. Referring to Fig. 3, after drawing, the wire 11 is passed through a tankV l'containing hot alkalicleaner forfre'- moving all traces of lubricants and drawing compound therefrom, through a wiper 17 to remove the'hot alkali cleaner 'and thence throughV a liquid bath in a .container Y18, said bath being composed of a solution of theresin which is frangiblewhen dry and a suitable solvent. i The coated wire is then passed through a sizing wiper 19 to properly distribute the coating therealong and'isv taken up Without guide-apparatus by a takeup 21 having a uni#V formly reciprocating reel 22, Saidtakeup being of the typef .disclosed in the .U.S. patent to Johnson eti-al. 2,141,395. The strand is ywoundon the reel in suhaa fashion ias to produce a traverse wound multi-l-ayer coil of wire. After the resin has dried, the wire convolutions will as a result be bound into a rigid bundle having the voids between the wire convolutions filled with hardened frangible resin as depicted in Fig. 2; The reel 22 or other supporting coiling apparatus may then be removed leaving arself-supporting wire bundle, such as is illustrated in Fig. l, ready for transporting to the next operation. It vshould be noted that the resin coating gives protection to the surface of the wire thus preventing chemical action from occurring while the bundle is being stored or trans ported. An alternative method for producing the wire bundle might be the same as above-described with the exception that the tank 18 would contain a heated, molten, freely-duid, normally frangible resin and with the further exception that the reel would not be removed. from the wound bundle until the norm-ally frangible resin had cooled to its hard, brittle, shatterable, frangible state.

Because the major part of the frangible resin will shatter and drop off the wire 11 as the wire is pulled from the bundle 10, the wire will` be sutiiciently clean for many operations. However, if the wire is steel wire to be used in copper-steel conductors, it will be necessary to clean the Wire after unwinding and before the copper coating operation. Such cleaning will remove all remaining traces of the frangible resin clinging to the surface of the wire4 after unwinding from the bundle 10. 'The cleaning step could be performed by application of a suitable solvent to the surface of the wire, which might be applied on the principle of the degreaser disclosed in the U.S. patent to Murray, No. 2,732,322, or on the principle of the wiper disclosed in the U.S. patent to Moss, No. 2,194,565, or by any other suitable method. The cleaned wire may then be advanced directly into the copper coating process, thus eliminating the troublesome pickling step necessary to the conventional abovedescribed process and also the damage resulting from rusting and pitting of the wire.

Fig. l shows the wire 11 being unwound from the inner surface of the self-supporting coil 11. While this is the preferred method for unwinding the coil, other meth ods may also be used. For example, a flyer type supply stand such as that disclosed in the U.S. patent to Kramer, No. 2,390,158, might be used to pay off the wire from the outer surface of a coil embodying the present invention. It is preferred, however, to unwind the strand from the center of the coil as disclosed in Fig. 1 to prevent the lead off wire from cutting into the body of the coil and to keep the coil itself out of the way of the wire being pulled olf of the coil.

While the frangible material discussed herein has in somecases been referred to as frangible resin, it is to be understood that the frangible material might be any of the following: petroleum resin, rosin, spirit varnish, shellac, pyroxylin, or cellulose acetate (without plasticizer added) or any other similar frangible material. The frangible resin may be applied to the wire in solution in av suitable organic or petroleum solvent. Suitable organic solvents may include alcohol, amyl-acetate, ethylacetate, butylacetate, acetone, or miscible mixtures of two or more of these, or the like. Suitable petroleum solvents may include naphtha, benzol, or the like. It` applied in solution the frangible resin hardens upon evaporation of the solvent and the resin must be of a type in which there is no secondary set involving oxidation or polymerization.

The advantages of the self-supporting, frangible-resinbound coil are at least threefold. First, the surface of the wire is protected from rust, corrosion and other chemical action during storage and transportation; second, transportation of heavy reels is eliminated; and, third, much expensive unreeling equipment is eliminated at no loss of reliable uniform paying oif.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. The method of handling wire, which comprises the steps of applying a coating of a hard, frangible, brittle, shatterable material selected from the group consisting of rosin and shellac, in a liquid state to a bare metal wire winding the coated wire into a coil. having an exposed end; drying the applied coating material in situ to its hard, frangible state so that the hardened material temporarily binds convolutions of the coil together into a self-supporting coil, the wire of the coil being protected from corrosion by the hardened coating material; and subsequently, when it is desired to use the wire, unwinding the coil by pulling the exposed end of the wire away from the coil, the coating material being such that, as the wire is unwound, a major part fo the coating material shatters and drops olf the wire as the wire is pulled away from the coil, leaving the wire in a reasonable clean condition.

2. The method of handling wire, which comprises the steps of yapplying a hard, frangible, brittle, shatterable coatingof shellac in a liquid state to a bare metal wire winding the coated wire into a coil having an exposed end; drying the applied coating of shellac in situ to its hard, frangible state so that the hardened shellac temporarily binds convolutions of the coil together into a self-supporting coil, the wire of Ithe coil being protected from corrosion by the coating of the hardened shellac; and subsequently, when it is desired to use the wire, unwinding the coil by pulling the exposed end of the wire away from the coil, whereupon the coating of shellac shatters and a major part thereof drops olf the wire as the wire is pulled away from the coil, leaving the wire in a reasonably clean condition.

3. The method of handling wire, which comprises the steps of applying a hard, frangible, brittle, shatterable coating of rosin in a liquid state to a bare metal wire winding the coated wire into a coil having an exposed end; drying the applied coating of rosin in situ to its hard, frangible state so that the hardened rosin temporarily binds the convolutions of the coil together into a selfsupporting coil, the wire of the coil being protected from corrosion by the coating of the hardened rosin; and subsequently, when it is desired to use the wire, unwinding the coil by pulling the exposed end of the wire away from the coil, whereupon the coating of rosin shatters and a major part thereof drops oi the wire as the wire is pulled away from the coil, leaving` the wire in a reasonably clean condition.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

